Thesis content and article publishing
Journal publishers usually acquire the copyright to scholarly articles through a publication agreement with the author. Their policies then determine what authors can do with their work.
Below are publisher policies regarding graduate students’ reuse of their previously published articles in their theses, and policies on accepting journal submissions that first appeared in an author’s previously released thesis.
If an article is co-authored with a member of the MIT faculty, or if you have opted-in to an OA license, the MIT open access policy is likely to apply to the article, which allows for the extension of additional rights to graduate student authors through MIT for reuse. Short excerpts of published works may also be available for reuse under the MIT Libraries license agreements.
Please contact scholarlypub@mit.edu with questions or if you need information that does not yet appear below.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows, with these special requirements for theses made available electronically (as MIT’s are):
“the accepted version of the paper before Science’s copy editing and production of the Work should be used and a link to the Work on the Science website included.”
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
Allows. According to the AAAS, in general, publication in a thesis, including through an open nonprofit website, does not constitute prior publication.
American Chemical Society
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows, with these special requirements: “Author should secure written confirmation (via letter or email) from the respective ACS journal editor(s) to avoid potential conflicts with journal prior publication/embargo policies. Appropriate citation of the Published Work must be made. If the thesis or dissertation to be published is in electronic format, a direct link to the Published Work must also be included using the ACS Articles on Request.”
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
Each ACS journal has a specific policy on prior publication that is determined by the respective ACS Editor-in-Chief. Authors should consult these policies and/or contact the appropriate journal editorial office to ensure they understand the policy before submitting material for consideration.
American Geophysical Union
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows, with proper attribution, but may vary by journal. Formal grant of license not required, but is available free of charge through Rightslink. (Example)
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows if author has selected option B on the publication agreement, retaining copyright. If author has selected option A, “they must request permission to reprint material from this previously published work to include it in their thesis.”
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
Allows. “Although the prior publication of material in a thesis or dissertation is part of a work’s publication history that needs to be acknowledged, it does not disqualify material from being presented at conferences or published in AIAA’s journals.”
American Institute of Physics
American Physical Society
American Society for Clinical Investigation
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows. Authors may request a formal grant of license through Rightslink.
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows, “as long as citations and DOI pointers to the Versions of Record in the ACM Digital Library are included.”
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
Likely allows. Prior publication rules apply to “peer reviewed” publications.
Cambridge University Press
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows. Must acknowledge the original publication, and include a copyright notice and the phrase “reprinted with permission.”
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
Policies set by individual journals.
Elsevier
IEEE
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows, author should use the accepted version of the article and include a required copyright notice.
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
Theses not specifically addressed, but permitted subject to editorial discretion. Individual journals may have their own policies
Institute of Physics
Inter-Research Science Center
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Reuse of published content is “generally free of charge,” but you must get permission.
Email: permissions@int-res.com
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
International Speech Communication Association (ISCA) INTERSPEECH conference
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows, with citation.
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
National Academy of Sciences
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows, with citation.
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
Not addressed. “What constitutes prior publication…will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Nature
Oxford University Press
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows, provided the thesis is not commercially published.
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
Royal Society of Chemistry
Sage
Springer
Reuse of author’s previously published article in author’s thesis
Allows — in addition, a special agreement with Springer for MIT authors allows for reuse for scholarly and educational purposes.
Submission of new article by author that first appeared as part of author’s thesis
Policy varies by journal but according to Springer: “There are no overriding ethical issues as long as the dual publication is transparent and cross referenced. Transparency is key, though a few journals might reject such an article for the reason of non-originality.”
Wiley
Page last updated: April 20, 2018